New dams are being built to alleviate water scarcity in Southern Afghanistan

Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan is famous for its grapes and pomegranates, but the production of these fruits has been badly affected by years of drought. Three new dams are being built in the province as part of efforts to alleviate acute water shortages. KANDAHAR, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Three new dams are being built in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province to alleviate the acute water shortage resulting from years of drought, which has badly affected local agricultural production. The religious leader of the province, Mullah Abdul Khaleq, said the new dams are located in the province's Shah Vali Kot and Sipin Boldak districts. According to Khaleq, the dam in Sipin Boldak district is designed to hold 2.3 million cubic meters of water and will cost 35 million afghanis (about US$400,000) to build. The other two dams are located in Manda Kanda and Lawal Shah Vali Kot districts of Shah Vali Kot district. "The capacity of the dam to be built in Manda Kanda will be 1.7 ...